Leather stretching frame



Oct l5; JONES LEATHER STRETCHING FRAME 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 O O O O O O O O O O O O 1. M. JONES 2,017,250

LEATHER STRETCHING FRAME 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Get. 15,, 1935.

Filed Nov. 2, 1935 D 00 an o 000 O O 0 o 0 o 00 00 00 000 o 0 o 00 0000 0 00000 c 00 00 oouoooo 0000000 000000000000 000000000000 000000000000 0 000 o 0 one 00 00 0 O 00 o o oo o 7 00 3 0 oo cocoa can a a 0 no 000 o o O a n o o o 0 0 on 0 o 0000 0 0 000 0 no 000 00 0 000 00000 000 000 a 00000 no 00 00 000 00 0 0o 0 o 000 D OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO000000 000OOQQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 0 0 0 0 00 co 0 a 000 o on 0o 00 00 00 00 0000000 oooeoaeooocaooboo aocoooooaoooooaoo ocoooooooooaoocoo oooooooooouooouoo Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNETED STATES PATENT oFFIcE 10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in leather stretching frames as used for the stretching and drying of hides and the like.

Leather stretching frames now generally consist of a stiff supporting or border frame preferably formed of tubing to which a perforated metal sheet is attached, the skins or hides to be stretched and dried being attached to the perforated metal sheet by means of toggles which grip the edge of the hide or skin and have hooks to engage in the perforations of the metal sheet.

To insure the best results, it is, of course, essential that the perforated metal sheet be perfectly fiat and as a comparatively heavy gauge metal must be used to withstand the strain, it has been difficult in the past to fasten the perforated sheet to the supporting frame without having objectionable wavy or uneven portions in the sheet.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a novel construction for frames of this general type and a method of making the same by which the application of the perforated sheet is materially simplified and a fiat surface is assured.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a frame structure of the character described and a method of making the same whereby the sheet is put under tension during the assembly of the frame.

Another object of this invention is to provide a frame so constructed that upon forced separation of its two complementary sections, the perforated sheet is placed under tension in all directions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a frame unit of the character described wherein the perforated metal sheet is attached to its supporting or border frame by being welded thereto.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein-disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illus- 50 trated several complete examples of the physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to the best modes I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a stretching frame embodying this invention and illustrating the manner of applying a hide thereto;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating the means for spreading the border frame sections shown in Figure 1; 5

Figure 3 is a view illustrating another manner of spreading the border frame sections to apply tension to the perforated sheet;

Figure 4 is a view illustrating the invention in a modified embodiment;

Figure 5 is a view showing the completed frame unit of Figure 4, and the manner in which its sections are placed in tension during the making of the same;

Figure 6 is a detail section view through Figure 5 on the plane of the line 66;

Figure 7 is a view in elevation of another modified embodiment of this invention; and

Figure 8 is a detail section view taken through Figure 7 on the plane of the line 8-8.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, and especially to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the numeral 5 designates a rectangular border frame formed of tubing and comprising two complementary halves or sections 6 and 1. Each section has an elongated side portion 8, end portions 9 and diagonal corner portions ID. The adjacent extremities of the end portions 9 are joined by T shaped fittings II, the stems of which provide trunnions l2 by which the entire frame may be mounted to swing on its longitudinal axis.

Attached to the border frame 5 is a perforated metal sheet or plate I3, slightly smaller than the inside dimension of the frame. The manner of attaching the sheet to' the border frame is such that during assembly of the unit, the sheet is placed under tension. To this end, the corners of the sheet are folded over the diagonal corner portions ll) of the frame sections and riveted 'down as at l5. Consequently, upon forced spreading of the frame sections 6 and 1, the sheet l3 will be placed in tension in all directions insuring an even flat surface throughout its entire area.

The means to forcibly spread the frame sections 6 and 1 may be as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. As here shown, the heads l6 of T fittings ll each have one end riveted or otherwise secured to the end portions of one of the sections and have their other ends disposed in the tubular end portions of the other section. These ends of the T heads are externally threaded and have nuts I! threaded thereon to bear against the 55 extremities of the end portions of said other section as best illustrated in Figure 2, so that upon turning of the nuts the frame sections are spread apart.

If desired, the T fittings ll may be welded to both frame sections as shown in Figure 3. In this construction, the frame sections are forcibly spread apart by means of some suitable apparatus, and in Figure 3, the frame is shown as having one of its sections engaged with a plurality of hooks l8 carried by a fixed support l9 and its other section engaged by hooks 20 carried by a movable tensioning member 2!. The tensioning member 2! may be actuated in any desired manner as by a hydraulic ram 22.

In the assembly of this form of the invention, the frame sections are, of course, placed under tension before the T fittings are welded in place or at least before one section is welded to the fittings, the welding being done while the frame sections are under tension.

Another method of making the frame is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. In this embodiment, the frame sections 6 and 1' are of the conventional type having rounded corners I. T fittings M are employed as before to rigidly connect the two frame sections, but the perforated sheet !3 is attached to the frame sections entirely by welding. The inner wall of the frame section may be slitted as at 23 to receive the adjacent marginal edge portions of the sheet as best illustrated in Figure 6.

In constructing this form of the invention, the T fittings H are first welded or otherwise fixed to the end portions of one of the frame'sections and then with the parts all loosely assembled, and the marginal edges of the sheet properly inserted in the slits of the frame sections, the two sides 8 of the frame are first welded to the sheet as illustrated in Figure 4. Then with the sheet attached to the frame sections only at the sides thereof, the frame is placed in a stretching apparatus similar to that shown in Figure 3, and tension is applied tending to separate the two frame sections.

With the entire structure under tension, the remaining marginal edge portions of the sheet are welded to the corners and ends of the frame sections and also the T fittings are welded to the other section.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures '7 and 8, the frame is also of the type having rounded corners, but the perforated sheet is not welded thereto. To attach the sheet in this construction, stamped metal corner fittings 24 are applied to the frame corners. These corner fittings 24, which are applied in a partially formed condition, have curved portions 25 to engage the corners of the frame sections and fiat webs 26 to overlie the opposite faces of the perforated sheet. In their partially formed condition, the corner fittings are slipped over thecorners of the frame sections and then their webs 26 are forcibly brought together and riveted in Figure 1. As here shown, the hide or skin to be stretched and dried is attached to the perforated sheet by attaching clips or toggles 28, which grip the edge of the skin or hide and hook into one of the perforations'of the sheet.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, that a novel and improved construction for leather stretching and drying frames has been provided, and that it insures a fiat surface for the perforated sheet.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A leather stretching frame unit comprising a distendable border frame having. diagonal corner portions, a perforated metal sheet attached to the border frame by having its corners folded over the corner portions of the border frame, so that said corners of the sheet have a sliding engagement with the diagonal corner portions of the frame, and means for distending and holding the frame distended so as to stretch the sheet both longitudinally and transversely.

2. A leather stretching frame unit comprising,

a border frame composed of complementary sections having substantially diagonal corner portions, a perforated sheet, and means fixed to the corners of the sheet and having a sliding engage. ment with the diagonal corner portions for connecting the perforated sheet to the diagonal cor- 30 ner portions of the border frame so that forced separation of said complementary sections acting through the diagonal corner portions imposes a tension on the perforated sheet.

3. A leather stretching frame unit comprising 35,

a substantially rectangular border frame composed of two complementary sections each having substantially diagonal corner portions, a perforated sheet, and means slidably engaged with the diagonal corner portions and fixed to the corners 40,,

of the sheet for connecting the sheet with the substantially diagonal corner portions of the frame sections so that forced separation of said frame sections imposes tension to the sheet in all directions. 4. A leather stretching frame unit comprising a rigid border frame composed of complementary sections having end portions and diagonal corner portions, a perforated metal sheet attached to the frame sections by having its corners folded over and slidably engaged with the diagonal corner portions so that upon forced separation of the sections, said sheet is placed under tension, and supporting members for the frame secured to the end portions of the frame sections to rigidly v connect the frame sections and hold the same in their positions maintaining the sheet under tension.

5.. A leather stretching frame unit comprising a border frame composed of complementary sections having substantially diagonal corner portions, a perforated metal sheet having its corners engaged over the substantially diagonal corner portions so that upon forced separation of the frame sections, the sheet is placed under tension, and means to rigidly connect the frame sections and hold the same in their positions maintaining the sheet under tension. 7

6. A leather stretching frame unit comprising a border frame composed of complementary sections having substantially diagonal corner portions, a perforated metal sheet having its corners engaged over the substantially diagonal corner portions so that upon forced separation of the frame sections, the sheet is placed under tension, and substantially T shaped mounting members having the opposite ends of their heads secured to the frame sections to rigidly connect the same and hold the same in their positions maintaining the sheet under tension, the stems of said T shaped members forming trunnions to pivotally mount the frame unit. 7

'7. A leather stretching frame unit comprising a border frame composed of complementary sections having end portions, a perforated sheet attached to the sections so that forced separation of said sections places the sheet under tension, means to rigidly connect the end portions of the sections, and means associated with said last mentioned means to forcibly spread the sections apart.

8. A leather stretching frame unit comprising a rigid border frame composed of complementary sections having aligned tubular end portions, a perforated metal sheet having opposite portions attached to the complementary sections so that the sheet may be placed under tension by forced separation of the frame sections, mounting members to pivotally mount the unit having opposite portions received in the adjacent aligned tubular end portions of the frame section, and screw means associated with the said mounting. members to forcibly spread the frame sections apart.

9. A leather stretching frame unit comprising a stiff border frame composed of similar sections having aligned tubular end portions and substantially diagonal corner portions, a perforated metal sheet, means to attach the metal sheet to the substantially diagonal corner portions so that forced separation of the sections imparts tension to the sheet, substantially T shaped mounting members to connect the adjacent end portions of the frame sections, the opposite end portions of the heads of said T shaped members being received in the tubular end portions, means to fix one end portion of each head in its tubular end portion, and nuts threaded on the other end portions of the T shaped mounting members and bearing against the extremities of the other frame end portions whereby said nuts provide means for spreading the frame sections.

10. The hereindescribed method of making a leather stretching frame unit, which consists in aligning two similar substantially U shaped frame sections with their open ends in register with each other to form substantially a rectangle, loosely connecting the adjacent frame section ends by means of mounting members, securing opposite portions of a perforated sheet to the frame sections, applying stress to the frame members in opposite directions to stretch the sheet, and in fixing the frame sections to the mounting members in their positions maintaining the sheet under tension.

IRA MILTON JONES. 

